Never Entertain Negativity
Photo by Jay Castor
Your mind is the holy sanctuary.
If you think something evil
…you are placing
an idol in the Temple.¹
— Menachem Mendel
It’s a stiff requirement by the Bal Shem Tov: to shield our mind from negative thoughts at all times and in all places. Why is it so important? Because it is in our thought that we are tempted to bow down to a seeming power or presence apart from G-d.
This darkness of thought obscures our conscious at-one-ment with the Divine. Without enlightened thought, there is no practical enlightenment.
How do we handle negativity such as hatred, anger, revenge, resentment, or dishonesty? Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe says,
If a negative thought
should arise in your mind,
be still until you have chased it away.…²
Distract your mind to good thoughts,
productive thoughts, thoughts of confidence
in the One who made you…³
This return takes place in thought. It’s a ‘journey of awe’ we must make daily, sometimes moment by moment. It is important to note that this involves choice of thought, not control of thought. Even when the mind races with anger or fear, we have a choice. Scholar and author Daniel Matt quotes the Zohar’s Sefer Yetsirah:
‘If your mind races,
return to the place,’
return to where you were before thought.
Return to the site of Oneness.⁴
This Oneness as the Mind of God is our protection, a shield as described in the 91st Psalm. With this divine consciousness we think from the Source of thought, which knows only good. This is not mere positive thinking; it is divine thinking.
Rabbi Greg Wolfe explains that,
This increased consciousness
is called by the Jewish mystics Mochin de Gadlut,
literally, a ‘bigness of mind.’
When we expand our capacity for awareness,
through prayer, reflection,
and simply paying closer attention,
we…respond to more of life more fully…
We are able to grow in wisdom,
understanding and compassion.⁵
These are attributes of God. Limited awareness, on the other hand, gives rise to wrong speech and action. Such conduct is deadly. The Talmud says,
Evil talk kills three people:
the speaker, the listener,
and the one who is spoken of.⁶
We find a similar sentiment in the Bible from the Apostle Paul:
Wherein thou judgest another,
thou condemnest thyself.
— Romans 2:1
Chabad.org’s commentary, inspired by the Rebbe’s teaching, says, “The speaker obviously commits a grave sin by speaking negatively of his fellow. The listener, too, is a partner to this evil. But why is the one who is spoken of affected by their deed? Are his negative traits worsened by the fact that they are spoken of?
“Indeed they are. A person may possess an evil trait or tendency, but his quintessential goodness, intrinsic to every soul, strives to control it, conquer it, and ultimately eradicate its negative expressions and redirect it as a positive force. But when this evil is spoken of, it is made that much more manifest and [seemingly] real. By speaking negatively of the person's trait or deed, the evil-speakers are, in effect, (creating the [seeming] reality); with their words, they grant substance and validity to its negative potential.
“The same applies in the reverse: speaking favorably of another, accentuating his or her positive side, will aid him to realize himself in the manner that you have defined him.” ⁷
This is thought that heals. The Rebbe says, “Thinking has a profound effect. So does not thinking. A mind obsessed with yesterday’s travesties, today’s aches and pains, and tomorrow’s dark clouds creates problems where none exist.
“It transforms daydreams into realities, molehills into monstrosities, and innocent creatures into venomous snakes. All the more so when such words pass the lips into the tangible world we all share. That is why simply turning your back to those thoughts is such a powerful form of healing—for every sort of illness.
“Distract your mind to good thoughts, productive thoughts, thoughts of confidence in the One Who Made You, and especially thoughts of Torah. Heal your mind and heal your soul. You will heal your body as well.”⁸
Healing is the revealing of our eternal at-one-ment with God. Let us say, as God does:
The thoughts I think towards you
are of peace, and not of evil.
—Jeremiah 29:11 JPS
At-one-ment with God’s holy thought is the Malchus Shamayim—the Kingdom of Heaven—on earth.
“The same applies in the reverse: speaking favorably of another, accentuating his or her positive side, will aid them to realize themselves in the manner that you have defined.”⁹ This is thought at one with God’s thought—thought that uplifts and heals.
Let us be together.
Let us eat together.
Let us be vital together.
Radiating Truth,
Radiating the Light of Life.
Never shall we denounce anyone.
Never entertain negativity.¹⁰
— The Upanishads
It is our God-given ability to express harmony. In fact, harmony is commanded by all the great traditions. Here are just a few examples: Christianity says, “Love your enemies”; the Upanishads say, “Never entertain negativity”; and Judaism teaches that we must “shield (our) mind from negative thoughts at all times and in all places.” We can undoubtedly all do better in this regard.
God’s consciousness, the site of divine Oneness, has been our true ‘dwelling place in all generations.” Our Christian readers will recognize this in I John:
God is Love;
and one who dwells in Love,
dwells in God…
There is no fear in Love…
perfect Love [the site of Oneness]
casts out [precludes the concept of] fear.
The 91st Psalm describes this protection of divine Love as a “shield and buckler.” The mechanics are simple: one “who dwells in the secret place of the Most High” thinks from the transcendent Source of thought, which knows only Good. This is not mere positive thinking; it is divine thinking. It is divine Mind, pure thought, that knows only Itself.
This state of restful alertness knows no individual ego or personality, only divine individuality. The result is what Vedic sage Maharishi Mahesh Yogi describes as spontaneous right thought and action. Evil thoughts don’t ‘go’ somewhere; they simply cannot arise because there is no mind apart from divine Mind to think them.
The Qu’ran also prohibits “fitne,” which is evil speech.
In summary, advice from the ages reminds us to:
Speak the sweet truth.¹¹
Waves of the Ocean
[1] Rami Shapiro, @One Daily Message, October 30, 2000 AX 1674
[2] Tzvi Freeman, Advice on Thoughts, https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/148229/jewish/Advice-on-Thoughts.htm • 05.04.2022
[3] Tzvi Freeman, The Power of Not Thinking, https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/148239/jewish/The-Power-of-Not-Thinking.htm 05.04.2022
[4] Daniel C. Matt, The Essential Kabbalah: The Heart of Jewish Mysticism, (HarperSanFrancisco, 1994), p. 108, see also note for “Aloneness and Abundance” p. 199
[5] Rabbi Greg Wolfe, Congregation Bet Haverim Yom Kippur Day 5761, Davis, CA 10.09.2000
[6] chabad.org PARSHAH IN A NUTSHELL: Week of April 7-13 (Tazria-Metzora) Wed 4.10.2002 • Chana Weisberg, Your Words Can Make or Break Someone, https://www.chabad.org/theJewishWoman/article_cdo/aid/4322275/jewish/Your-Words-Can-Make-or-Break-Someone.htm • 06.21.2019
[7] chabad.org PARSHAH IN A NUTSHELL: Week of April 7-13 (Tazria-Metzora) Wed 4.10.2002
[8] Tzvi Freeman, The Power of Not Thinking, https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/148239/jewish/The-Power-of-Not-Thinking.htm • 05.04.2022
[9] chabad.org PARSHAH IN A NUTSHELL: Week of April 7-13 (Tazria-Metzora) Wed 4.10.2002 • [them] replaces “him,” [themselves] replaces “himself,”
[10] The Global Country of World Peace Celebrates Guru Purnima, 7 July 2009, Highlights • https://press-conference.globalgoodnews.com/archive/july/09.07.07.html • 05.08.2022
[11] Premashakt, Maharishi Vedic Science Blog, September 4, 2014
https://maharishivedicscience.wordpress.com/2014/09/04/consider-the-sanskrit-expression-satyam-bruyat-priyam-bruyat-speak-the-sweet-truth-how-do-you-reconcile-the-need-to-be-truthful-with-the-need-to-speak-sweetly-think-of-an-example-from-your-life/ • 06.19.2022
This post includes edited excerpts
From The President’s Study
High Holy Days Newsletter 5763
Congregation Beth Shalom, Fairfield, Iowa, September 2002
© Copyright 2002 Joy Hirshberg
All rights reserved.
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